There’s something hypnotically satisfying about drawing the endless circular patterns with a Spirograph machine—unless you’re hopelessly lazy. Then it’s just another form of work you’re trying to avoid, and you’ll probably love PG52’s latest creation. It’s an autonomous Lego Spirograph machine powered by a single motor connected to an impressive four-speed gearbox. Its engineering is as much a piece of art as the spiral patterns it sketches. More »
Oh Universe, you will never cease to amaze me, with all your galaxies and your pulsars and supernovas and your planets and your alien civilizations that never show up and all that starstuff we love so much. You know, like the fact that you draw perfect spirographs in the sky all the time. More »
The Spirograph completely revolutionized doodling as we know it, and Narcélio Grud hopes it can do the same for street art which is commonly looked at as nothing more than graffiti. His machine lets anyone who’s unskilled with a can of spraypaint make complex patterns with a spin of its wheel. More »
I always loved playing with my Spirograph when I was a little kid. Of course, now with tablet and computer painting apps, it’s hard to imagine going back to such a simple creative plaything. But sometimes, simplicity is fun too. One graffiti artist still loves his Spirograph, and it inspired him to make a giant one.
Using the basic principles behind the original Spirograph, street artist Narcélio Grud bent a large metal rod into a circle, and then attached a rig which allows a set of smaller wheels (made from bicycles) to spin around on the inside and holds the spray can button down. As he turns the wheel, a rotating geometric pattern appears, just like with the original Spirograph toy. Adjusting a couple of bolts that hold the spray can let him create a virtually infinite number of patterns. Here, check it out in action:
While the effect isn’t as precise as using a pen and paper, it’s still a cool idea, and I’d love to see someone make a motorized version of this thing sometime.
[via Rebelart via Nerdcore (DE)]
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